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Teaching Athletics in Schools

Teaching Athletics in Schools

To support teachers and those supporting the management and delivery of high quality sport and physical education, athletics has produced a curriculum for the delivery of athletics within schools. This curriculum has been designed to place running, jumping and throwing at the heart of school physical education and to support teachers and other school professionals with the ongoing development of young people’s physical literacy and athletics skills.

To support teachers with the delivery of this curriculum, athletics has developed a series of resources which have been designed to deliver athletics in an inclusive, exciting and engaging manner. These resources have be written by sports and physical education experts with extensive knowledge and experience of teaching and coaching athletics at school, club and international level. These resources have also been designed to conform to curriculum requirements within England.

The Teaching resources provided by Athletics aim to:

Bring the sport of athletics to life and make it accessible

Provide teachers with a creative and practical resource that will help them encourage and motivate youngsters participate and achieve in athletics

Ensure that athletics is taught in a more inclusive and engaging manner, with modern approaches that are less reliant on formal didactic delivery and focus more on learning

Ensure all children receive a positive experience of athletics, where the emphasis is on participation, enjoyment, mastery and the acquisition of skills, so that they maintain interest in the sport.

Create a greater understanding that running, jumping and throwing underpin the vast majority of sports, and ensure children acquire and develop these skills throughout their education

Reach out and appeal to a much wider audience of young people to ensure we have a sustainable number of 16-17 year olds in the sport, who are committed to competing at senior level.

It is important that schools support the development of athleticism in youngsters, certainly up to the age of 13-14. Good teaching at the very early stages is crucial, along with appropriate year on year progression. It takes time to develop the fundamental skills and understanding associated with movements underpinning the ability to run, jump and throw.

Other opportunities

For teachers and their students to learn more about delivering athletics

The “AthleACADEMY” scheme provides people aged 14+ with an opportunity to learn about the various roles available within the sport, from coaching to volunteering and from club management to media and promotion via the completion of Bronze, Silver and Gold award within 5 areas unique areas. For more information see www.athleacademy.org